Cheerleading tryout tips?

Question

I want to tryout for cheerleading in April and i want to actually make the team! I am pretty good at gymnastics and dancing but i hear thats not all you need to get on the squad. I ordered a dvd to help me out with a few dances but if anybody has any tips...PLEASE let me know....especially cheerleaders! Thnx! :)

Answer 1

As a current cheer coach, I can tell you what we expect from our girls.

First and foremost we stress academics. Being a good cheerleader requires a great deal of practice, and this can sometimes hurt your grade point average. We always stress that you can't go on in life to make a living at cheerleading....you have to have an education to do that.

As for the actual requirements:

Knowledge of routines, cheers and chants: Know them backwards and forwards....well enough to begin them anywhere in the middle of the cheer. I have seen many good candidates dropped due to the inability to start a cheer at any point in the routine.

Tumbling/Gymnastics to include cartwheel, roundoff, and back hand spring. Girls who can do a tuck usually get extra points. If you don't have your back hand spring or tuck down, nail the cartwheel and roundoff...lots of spring!

Flexibility and Posture: Be able to do splits and heal stretch. In a Liberty or heal stretch position, hold your balance for 20 seconds. Extra points are given for girls who can do arabesques.

Judges always look for personality and smiles. Be sure to let yours shine through on try out day! It never hurts to add a little wink or nod when the judges look your way!

Keep your movements sharp and in proper form! No sloppy arms, wrists etc. You can lose lots of points in this area. If you have never cheered, you might want to check out cheerleading.about.com for proper movement techniques. I would also suggest that you attend a couple of games to see how the cheerleaders move.

I have also advised many girls to take a video recorder to the game and video tape the cheerleader. You can then take that home and practice at your own pace...stopping and starting when you need to.

If you are able, demonstrate as many tumbling techniques as you have. Ditto for jumps. This is where you can out-shine the competition. If you do not have this ability, be super enthusiastic in high kicking and movements!

dance is great, it gives you poise and rythm, but don't rely on your dancing abilities alone. Your job will be to show the judges that you can work as a team member and engage the crowd to cheer on your team. Make the judges WANT to cheer with you!

On try out day, wear your hair in a pony tail and or off of your face. Not too much make-up and no jewelry. Let them know that you are a serious contender, not there for a beauty contest. Do some deep breathing exercises just before you try out...and remember, every one else is just as nervous as you! Just do your best and it will show!

Best of wishes to you!

Answer 2

Smile, tight motions, energy... those are some key things... coaches aren't looking for people with only good tumbling and jumps, they're looking for a certain energy and vibe that a girl puts out, if you see someone with better skills, don't get bummed out, just start stretching, flexibility is important! Get in front of a mirror and hit motions, make sure wrists are straight and your "t"s are even, don't freak out, just be you, listen to any suggestions given out by anyone, and if you see someone doing something wrong, point it out- take some initiative, always be willing to learn, just go and put all of your energy out there, not just when your in front of the coaches/judges... when you learn your tryout material, go home and PRACTICE!!! Your coaches will be impressed when you come back, jump right to the front of the line and do your thing! Take notes if you need to, I know I always do, actually, I video tape the dance when they show it to me the first time, hope I could help, feel free to ask about anything else, I'm always here to help people with cheerleading, I love it!

*~Jill~*

Answer 3

You shouldn't be nervous about it at all, Your very flexible which is a really good thing. First you should start trying your jumps on a trampoline with jumping at first, when you get good at that try again on the tramp but just standing on it without jumping. Then go onto the floor and try keep doing this many times. I would also say talk to your cheer coach if they could help you even for just an extra half an hour after practice to help you with your jumps. I would also say to do stretches everyday. You can also watch some videos and see how to do some jumps. Good Luck im sure you will do amazing :)

Answer 4

you should find out what your school requires. like any tumbling/ pior dance experinece or being on a team before. stratch every day so your jumps will be good. make sure when you cheer your loud and you vioce comes from your stomach and when make your motions tight. also you should see if you would become a base/ back or flyer. smile and have fun. dont wear alot of make up. judges dont like that they like to see you not makeup

Answer 5

You always have to SMILE. No matter what... you trip, you fall, you mess up.... just keep smiling and do your best. Keep your HEAD UP. Have rythm. Exaggerate your facial expressions a little bit. And as my coach always says..... Just have fun with it. If your not having fun, it's not gonna look good. GOOD LUCK!
= D
[i'm a cheerleader]

Answer 6

ummm ya i dont really know but remember to make everyting firm and have a lot of team sprit and if you have done it before then lead people and u will do just fine!!!

Answer 7

Have spirit and energy, but not too much. Be yourself